Oliver Proudlock shot to fame on E4’s hit scripted reality drama Made in Chelsea. The show follows the lives, loves, trials and tribulations of a group of twenty-somethings living in affluent South West London and is one of the channels highest-viewed programmes.
Proudlock joined the cast in the second series of the show and immediately stood out with his edgy style and, dare I say, ‘swagger’, not instantly recognisable as referencing the mean streets of Knightsbridge. However, the 24-year-old TV star is not resting on his laurels with this new found fame or looking for the next reality spin-off. He’s nurturing his true passion for art, music and fashion and throwing all of his weight behind his clothing label, SERGE DENIMES. And he’s doing a pretty good job of it too.
DANIEL ALEXIS caught up with Oliver Proudlock at the launch party for his SERGE DENIMES pop up shop at Wolf & Badger on Dover Street, Mayfair, to talk fashion, television, London and hip hop-loving zombies
“I’ve always been interested in clothes; my Mother had her own fashion label in the 1970’s so from a young age I’ve been influenced by fashion”
Serge Denimes: How it all began for Oliver Proudlock
Having studied art in Newcastle for four years Proudlock, the son of photographer Lena Proudlock, returned to London and took a break from art but stayed creative. When he decided to launch the label for Spring/Summer 2011 he concentrated on a medium that he already knew well.
The first collection of Serge Denimes inspired by Rio Carnival
“I started off with t-shirts because I’d always printed my artworks on to them in the past. My first collection was my Mum’s photographs from Rio Carnival from 1978. She did a really cool book on carnival I selected 10 images from the book. I wanted to pick images that had real relevance to me. I’ve always been obsessed with Rio Carnival. I’ve been there four times now and it’s the most unbelievable place. I love the vibe and the energy”
Proudlock’s eyes light up when he talks about Rio. It obviously holds a special place in his heart and he’s obviously a man that likes a party. The Serge DeNimes popup feels more like a club. It’s in the basement of independent fashion retailer, Wolf & Badger. Wolf & Badger seek out up and coming designers and quirky labels and give them a platform to showcase their designs. They throw lively events and parties for creative communities in their basement space as well as create pop-ups for new brands to sell their wares. So at tonight’s bash for Serge DeNimes invited guests are partying hard to hip-hop and enjoying a free-flowing vodka bar. And it’s packed.
The store is buzzing both downstairs in the basement and upstairs amidst the other designer brands. Castmates Rosie Fortescue and Spencer Matthews are amongst the revellers throwing shapes next to east London fashionistas and a never-ending line of blond, attractive Chelsea chicks. It’s an interesting mix and a mix that sums up Proudlock’s own style and sensibilities.
“I want Serge DeNimes to be a very creative community touching on art, music, and fashion. I’m really into music and my favourite genre is hip-hop. As a result, two of the prints we did in this collection include Lil Wayne and Kanye West”
Proudlock id keen to fuse urban music into the DNA of his brand
“The one thing I really want to start pushing is collaborating with musicians and hip hop artists. I’ve launched the Serge Session which is similar to something that Burberry does but making it a little more urban. As I continue to build the brand I definitely want to collaborate more with musicians”
“The Serge Session is going to be a platform where I want to try and find the best up and coming musicians so whether that be acoustic, hip-hop anything based in the UK, and to create nice, simple, short videos in cool locations around London. I’m aiming for one a month. I want to build content for the Serge website as opposed to it just being an online store. I want to build a community where people come and it’s about music and art – creating a platform for emerging talent”
And of the brand ethos. Where did the idea come from?
“I picked the brand name Serge DeNimes because I eventually want to be a denim-based brand and the name is to do with the origin of denim. I wanted to start off with one product that I’m familiar with which is why I launched with t-shirts. I found an amazing factory in Portugal and then spent a few months focusing on getting the right materials and getting the cut perfect and then launched the website in June 2011”
“I’m planning to start bringing in little bits of denim into the collection. Next season I’m looking at bringing denim details into the t-shirts. We already have denim caps. I also want to do some denim rucksacks and then eventually develop my own denim line.”
“Choosing whether to do the show or not was probably the biggest decision I’ve had to make in my life. I’m very indecisive and I changed my mind about seven times. On the one hand it has given me a platform and helped me to push my brand which has been amazing so in that sense it has opened a lot of doors. In the same sense I guess it has closed a few as well. I do see Serge DeNimes as very separate from Made in Chelsea. I think it’s very different. And sometimes by doing both it pigeon-holes you a little bit. The kind of magazines I would like to push my brand to like Dazed & Confused and those kind of magazines are very different to the Made in Chelsea thing so in that sense I feel it’s been kind of hard to move the brand away from that. But it’s something that I want to push forward because it is a brand that I had before the show and I want to continue with it afterwards. “
He’s obviously grateful for the platform Made in Chelsea has given him but it is more than a stroke of luck that Serge DeNimes is actually a strong enough brand to stand alone and make a genuine fashion statement. Proudlock is keen to develop his fashion credentials and launched a style blog earlier this year in order to discuss the medium he clearly loves.
London is also a strong part of the brand’s identity and he obviously feels the love for the city. We got to talking about bars and nightlife and, of course, the weather.
“I hate the weather in London – I’m not very good in the cold. But I love the people. I was brought up here so have all my friends around. I love the buzz of London. I’m a big fan of La Bodega Negra. It’s similar to La Esquina in New York. I also love The Scotch – my favourite nightclub at the moment. Bar-wise I go to Dean Street Townhouse. Soho House and Shoreditch House are places I like to go too.”
So looking forward to 2013 I asked Proudlock about where he sees his brand going and what else he has planned outside of the TV work and fashion. His deep-rooted passion for art is clear as you look around the pop up.
“I would like to try and get back into my art in 2013. I still see the brand as art but I’d love to have an exhibition at the end of next year. It’s been a couple of years since my last one and art is one of my main passions”
But then I get to thinking. If the Mayans are correct we could be facing the end of the world on Friday 21st December. So what then? If we’re not going to make it to Christmas, and beyond, the fact I’m considering buying my brother a Serge DeNimes t-shirt for the festive season is probably void but I decide to do it anyway.
What happens if this is it? What will Ollie be doing?
“I’m going to be here on Friday 21st – in the Serge DeNimes pop up shop. When the zombies surface we’re going to get the decks set up and throw on some music and we’re going to party. We’ll all die amongst the Serge.”
I guess if you’ve got to go – partying through the end of the world, whilst looking sharp, isn’t a bad way to do it.
Serge DeNimes pop up store at Wolf & Badger runs until December 23 and is also available online at www.sergedenimes.com
